


hit me with your best shot

by xtreasure17



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Basketball AU, Crack, F/F, Humor, I just needed all the females I could think of, is this crack? lol, so basically all the females in poi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-12-30 02:50:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12099096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtreasure17/pseuds/xtreasure17
Summary: "I'm just doing it for sportsmanship."a shoot basketball AU that randomly got written and cracky. read for some lightheartedness





	hit me with your best shot

The ten girls jogged into position on the basketball court, five of them at a resigned pace and the other five with a restless victorious energy. Sameen Shaw headed her team to the other end for defense. She rounded her zone as point guard, shifting her weight left and right on her feet, always ready. Her teammates jogged past her to their places around the key and shouted out congratulations on scoring another goal to which Shaw responded with curt nods. The satisfaction of throwing a clean shot shivered through her but didn’t quell her focus. This may just be a training intra-team game but that doesn’t mean Shaw isn’t in it to win it.

Coach Hersh blew the whistle. Zoe threw in the ball to Dani, the other team’s point guard, and ran down the length of the court with her. The time on the scoreboard flickered away. Root alternated her gaze between the game and Shaw and the time passing too slowly. She hated basketball—or any sport, really—but it’s even more unbearable when she’s on the sidelines. 40 more minutes to go and she hasn’t been called up yet. Not that Root was complaining; she was only here because her Momma believed basketball would teach her some “essential life skills” and for the added bonus on her college application. Apparently being a genius wasn’t enough for universities to pick you; you have to be “well-rounded”. So here Root was, giving up two hours of her precious coding time for a stupid sport two days a week. Her only salvation was the girls on the team who had easily welcomed her into their friend group— well, at least nearly all of them did. Floyd had her own street ride-or-die gang and didn’t care for much more than team hangouts, Martine had a superiority complex and a stick up her ass and only showed up to team celebrations when their team won, Brooks followed Martine around everywhere, and Shaw… she was a mysterious force on her own, seemingly uncaring yet wholly dedicated to the team. She snarked and glared but also did not have any of her teammates’ numbers saved because “why would I go through the effort of saving them when I know them all by heart”. Root watched Shaw take a step up against Dani. So small yet so fierce. Dani was going to get wrecked. Root grinned. She glanced up at the time again and wondered when Coach Hersh was going to call for a break. Perhaps Root could bring Shaw some water and help her wipe her sweat and take off her jersey, for sportsmanship.

“Apple!” Dani yelled and slapped her palm against the ball, snapping Root out of her fantasy. She set the offense play into action by passing the ball to Zoe who passed it back to Dani who passed it to Harper who went up for a shot that bounced off the backboard. Harper, Iris, and Martine jumped up for the rebound while Brooks didn’t even bother trying. She just stood behind Martine and watched as the other blonde player grab the ball from right above her head.

“BROOKS!” Coach Hersch hollered in his constant state of annoyance. He waved her over and then turned to the sidelines, considering between Root and Claire, a short overeager freshman girl. He sighed, beckoned Root over, and called for substitution. “Groves, you’re up.”

Root returned the sigh and slouched up from her seat. She thought she saw Shaw glance over and stood up straighter, adding a saunter to her steps, just in case Shaw really was watching her. It was more likely that she was sizing up the competition, or the lack thereof. Root stood next to Coach, coming up almost the same height as him. She was tall for her age, probably genes from the father she never met, still not quite comfortable in her body that is still growing at 17. She tugged at the frayed edge of the stinky training jersey and pulled up her basketball shorts that hung too big yet too short around her skinny lanky legs.

“You’re center as usual. We’re playing 2-3 zone,” Coach Hersh filled Root in as if she hadn’t been watching the game all along. “Just go stand in the middle and put your hands straight up in defense, alright? Try not to catch the ball with your face again.”

Like she enjoyed the attraction basketballs have towards her face, Root faced away from him and rolled her eyes. She caught Martine looking her way with maniacal grin. Both of them were far from pleased that they will be up against each other if Coach Hersh were to switch to man-to-man defense. The bruise in Root’s side from last practice when Martine elbowed her during a particularly violent rebound throbbed in protest. Not letting her nervousness show, Root smiled broadly at Martine with all her teeth bared in the way she knew unnerve her and turned back to Coach Hersh with the same expression before jogging to join her team.

Zoe and Joss welcomed her with smiles and Harper offered her a fist bump as she passed by to take her position in the middle of the key. Dani was up in front, already locked in a stare down with Shaw. Coach Hersh blew the whistle again.

Kelli passed the ball in from out of bounds to Shaw and ran down by her side. Shaw dribbled slowly down the court. Her each movement is calculated and precise. Each bounce of the basketball echoed forebodingly through the gym. Shaw made eye contact with Kelli on her left less than a second before she passed the ball to her sharp and fast. Kelli caught the ball with her right hand and stopped smoothly. She held her position. With Zoe sufficiently distracted by Kelli, Shaw cut straight down between her and Dani, her right hand outstretched down low. Kelli bounce-passed the ball under Zoe’s high waving arms. Root barely registered Zoe's 'oh shit' and saw Sameen dribbling determinedly for the hoop, coming at hot for her, veering left. She raised her hands in self-preservation, stumbled in the opposite direction, but realized too late by the surprise on Shaw's face that she was faking her move.

The next thing Root knew, she was lying on her back, her breath knocked out of her in a single _umfph_ , and a heavy weight sprawled across her upper body. She had her right arm wrapped around a petite muscular body and her left lying uselessly and painfully by her side. She can see the basketball rolling in her peripheral vision, thump thump thumping away. The weight atop her rolled off as quick but the movement jarred her throbbing head. Root groaned. She peeked an eye open and saw Shaw on the ground next to her, looking at her with slight concern that transformed into a glare when their eyes met.

“SHAW!” Coach Hersh yelled. “FOUL!”

“WHAT!” Shaw shouted back.

“Ow, my brain cells!” Root groaned again amidst the loudness. Shaw glared extra hard for that nerdy exclamation.

“Are you okay?” Coach Hersh came running over, worried yet exasperated. He reached down to help Root up but Shaw batted his hand away, grabbing Root’s arm herself instead. Shaw made sure Root was steady on her feet before rounding towards the coach.

“Didn’t you see how we fell? She was clearly hugging me!” she argued.

Coach Hersh replied, “I know what I saw Shaw. It’s a foul on you.”

Shaw huffed in defeat and turned back to fuss over Root, checking on her scraped elbow. Blood was dripping down her arm, but Root could care less about that when she was being pampered with Shaw’s attention.

“If you want to hug me that much Sameen, all you had to do was ask,” Root whispered for Shaw’s ears only, hoping to lessen the shorter girl’s disgruntlement.

Shaw rolled her eyes and pushed Root’s arm into her chest so that she will cradle it and pushed her along with a hand on her back.

“I’m taking Root to the nurse… Sir,” Shaw informed Coach Hersh. “She’s… uh bleeding, and she hit her head.”  
She stopped herself before she could ramble out more unnecessary excuses. Coach Hersh just sighed and waved them away.

Root was almost prancing in her happiness. Shaw took one look at Root’s huge grin, rolled her eyes and said, “Shut up. I’m doing it for sportsmanship.”

Shaw held the inside of Root’s injured elbow the entire way.

**Author's Note:**

> So I was stuck at the hospital, for the 3rd day, and ended up writing this while loopey. Hope you enjoyed it and that it made you smile at least once :D


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